Metropolitan King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn announced yesterday, July 23, that the Enumclaw School District Special Needs Transition Program will receive a retired Metro Transit Vanpool van. The retired van program provides county vehicles that have reached the end of their service life to local governments and community programs to provide transportation assistance for low-income, elderly or young people or people with disabilities.

“This retired van will helps students in Enumclaw School District’s Special Needs Transition Program get the experiences they need to gain important real world skills,” said Dunn. “Repurposing retired Metro Vans to serve residents in King County is a win-win.”

The district’s Special Needs Transition Program helps students with special needs get real-world work experience by connecting them with businesses and training facilities for internships and preparing them to succeed in their post-secondary education goals. The program will use the van they receive to transport their students to and from internship sites.

“We are grateful for the donation of another retired van. Our staff members drive each van more than 100 miles on school days taking Transition program students to and from their placements at local businesses and community organizations,” said Mike Nelson, Enumclaw School District Superintendent. “Students learn valuable workplace skills while building important connections with adults, and these vans help make it possible. Our school, our students, and our community benefit from this donation.”

The vanpool program provides mobility for a diverse array of King County residents, supports the positive work of various local organizations, and relieves traffic congestion by reducing the need for single-occupancy vehicles.

Interested organizations can contact Councilmember Dunn for more information on applying for a vehicle.